Honouring the Truth Reconciling for the Future

304 • Truth & Reconciliation Commissionf) Returning human remains to the family, community or nation of origin, onrequest, or consulting with Aboriginal advisers on appropriate disposition,where remains cannot be associated with a particular nation;g) Ensuring that Aboriginal people and communities have effective access tocultural education and training opportunities available through museums andcultural institutions. [Recommendation 3.6.4] 135In the years following the Royal Commission’s report, museums across the countryhave implemented many of its recommendations. 136 Many have worked with communitiesto repatriate human remains or cultural artifacts. For some institutions, consultationand collaborative partnerships with Aboriginal communities have becomestandard practice, and Aboriginal internships and other training opportunities havebeen established. Yet, more is still needed, even as museums are faced with significantchallenges in obtaining adequate and stable multi-year funding to properly supportthese critical initiatives. 137Over the past three decades, Canadian museums that used to tell the story of thenation’s past with little regard for the histories of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoplesare slowly transforming. Although dialogue between museums and Aboriginalpeoples has improved substantially since the 1980s, the broader debate continuesover whose history is told and how it is interpreted. Here, we focus on two nationalmuseums, the Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum ofCivilization) 138 and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. As national public historyinstitutions, they bear a particular responsibility to retell the story of Canada’s pastso that it reflects not only diverse cultures, history, and experiences of First Nations,Inuit, and Métis peoples, but also the collective violence and historical injustices thatthey have suffered at the hands of the state. It is instructive to examine how thesetwo public history institutions plan to interpret the history of Aboriginal peoples andaddress historical injustices in the coming years.Canadian Museum of HistoryAppearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on CanadianHeritage in June 2013, Mark O’Neill, president and chief executive officer of theCanadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, acknowledged that many importantaspects and milestones of Canadian history—including residential schools—havebeen missing from the museum.[P]erhaps the most egregious flaw in the Canada Hall is its starting point. Ifyou’ve been there, you will know that its telling of our national story begins notwith the arrival of First Peoples but with the arrival of Europeans in the eleventh